Tools

UH 202 Section 002: Survey: Class East Cult

Fall, 2009
3 Credit Hours
Primary Instructor: not yet assigned
Core Designation: University Honors, Humanities

Office Hours

Jonathan Berry

Office location: East Riverside (off the first floor common area)

cell: 239-7016

email: berry009@ua.edu

Office hours are by appointment


Prerequisites

From the Student Records System

Prerequisites for this course cannot be retrieved automatically. See the course schedule or any additional notes from the instructor for further information.

This course is for University Honors Program students.


Course Description

This course is a broad study of the history, philosophy and religions of India, China and Japan. We will survey the major historical and religious events, along with the philosophic changes they brought about, in order to understand the development of Asian culture. Students will gain insight into differences and similarities of Asian worldviews. We will also develop a working comprehension of Nishitani's Religion and Nothingness.


Objectives

At the conclusion of this course, students will have a better understanding of the differences and/or similarities of Eastern and Western worldviews. They will also understand how the religious and philosophic histories of India, China and Japan affected the development of their cultures. Students will have an in-depth understanding of Nishitani's Religion and Nothingness.


Outline of Topics

- Chinese Buddhist thought and the cultivation of wisdom

  •  Zen mind and meditation
  •  Taoism, Confusionism, and Buddhism

-  The Religions of India

  • Indian Philosophy
  • Jainism
  • Buddhism
  • Hinduism

- Japan

  • The significance of the Samurai in Japanese culture
  • Kyoto School of Philosophy
  • Shintoism

Exams and Assignments

Course outline

1. Class orientation - You are to keep an ACADEMIC-RESPONSE JOURNAL. You should record your thoughts about the reading material. You should have approximately 8 entries that are at least three pages in length by the semester's end. These journal entries are to be submitted via email 24 hours before the class session in which material is to be discussed. You will also have a midterm exam and write a formal paper that will be a response to or a grappling with some aspect of Religion and Nothingness. It is to be 8 to 10 pages in length. I will need to approve your thesis paragraph before you begin to work on it.

2. Reading Assignment 1

Think on These Things by Jiddu Krishnamurti

3. Discussion on Reading Assignment 1 and Academic Response Journal 1 due

4. Reading Assignment 2

When Things Fall Apart

5. Discussion on Reading Assignment 2 and Academic Response Journal 2 due

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice

6. Reading Assignement 3

Religion and Nothingness

7. Discusssion on Reading Assignment 3 and general review of all topics. Academic Response Journal 3 due.

8. Midterm exam

9. Reading Assignment 4 and Academic Response Journal 4 due

Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai

10. Discussion on Reading Assignment 4

11. Reading Assignment 5 and Academic Response Journal 5 due

Religion and Nothingness - Nishitani: "What is Religion?"

12. Disscusion on Reading Assignement 5

13. Reading Assignment 6 and Academic Response Journal 6 due

Religion and Nothingness - Nishitani: "The Personal and Impersonal in Religion" and "Nihility and Sunyata"

14. Discussion on Reading Assignment 6 and Academic Response Journal 7 due

15. Reading Assignment 7 and review for final paper

Religion and Nothingness - Nishitani:"The Standpoint and Sunyata"

16.  Final paper and Academic Response Journal 8 due

 


Grading Policy

The course grade will be divided as follows:

Daily participation/attendance 25%

Academic-Response Journal 10%

Midterm                                        25%

Final paper                                  40%


Policy on Missed Exams & Coursework

All assignments must be submitted and students are expected to complete exams by each due date. If you have missed any deadlines, contact the instructor immediately to arrange an alternate submission date. Your final grade will be lowered by 5 points for each late submission.


Attendance Policy

Attendace is manditory and counts as 25% of your final grade.


Required Texts

UA Supply Store Textbook Information

Textbook data from the Supply Store not found for this course.

Chodron, Pema.When Things Fall Apart. Boston: Shambhala, 1997.

Krishnamurti, Jiddu. Think on These Things. San Francisco: HarperOne, 1989.

Nishitani, Keiji. Religion and Nothingness. Trans. Jan Van Bragt. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1982.

Suzuki, Shunryu. Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice. New York: Weatherhill, 1999.

Tsunetomo, Yamamoto. Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai. Translated by William Scott Wilson. New York: Kodansha International, 1979.


Disability Statement

If you are registered with the Office of Disability Services, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible to discuss any course accommodations that may be necessary. If you have a disability, but have not contacted the Office of Disability Services, please call 348-4285 or visit 133-B Martha Parham Hall East to register for services. Students who may need course adaptations because of a disability are welcome to make an appointment to see me during office hours. Students with disabilities must be registered with the Office of Disability Services, 133-B Martha Parham Hall East, before receiving academic adjustments.

Policy on Academic Misconduct

All students in attendance at the University of Alabama are expected to be honorable and to observe standards of conduct appropriate to a community of scholars. The University expects from its students a higher standard of conduct than the minimum required to avoid discipline. Academic misconduct includes all acts of dishonesty in any academically related matter and any knowing or intentional help or attempt to help, or conspiracy to help, another student.

The Academic Misconduct Disciplinary Policy will be followed in the event of academic misconduct.


Severe Weather Protocol

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UA is a residential campus with many students living on or near campus. In general classes will remain in session until the National Weather Service issues safety warnings for the city of Tuscaloosa. Clearly, some students and faculty commute from adjacent counties. These counties may experience weather related problems not encountered in Tuscaloosa. Individuals should follow the advice of the National Weather Service for that area taking the necessary precautions to ensure personal safety. Whenever the National Weather Service and the Emergency Management Agency issue a warning, people in the path of the storm (tornado or severe thunderstorm) should take immediate life saving actions.

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